Dynamic Vehicle Platoon Ordering for Safety and Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle platoon management systems do not effectively utilize driver quality and vehicle performance parameters to optimize platoon ordering, splitting, and merging, which can impact safety and efficiency, especially in diverse groups of vehicles with varying capabilities and experiences.
Innovation Solution
Implementing vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication using Unicast and Broadcast protocols to assess and adjust platoon formations based on driver quality parameters such as platooning experience, hard braking events, and lane departure warnings, allowing for dynamic reordering, splitting, and merging of platoons for improved safety and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If tight spacing between platooned vehicles is used to reduce energy consumption, then fuel efficiency is improved, but safety and operational reliability deteriorate due to increased risk of collisions and reduced reaction time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic spacing adjustment where the distance between vehicles in a platoon is not fixed but varies based on real-time conditions. The system continuously monitors vehicle performance parameters, driver quality metrics, and environmental factors to automatically adjust inter-vehicle spacing, allowing tight spacing when conditions permit (improving fuel efficiency) while maintaining adequate spacing when safety concerns arise (preserving reliability).
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of inter-vehicle spacing based on multiple input factors including driver quality ratings, vehicle performance characteristics, weather conditions, and roadway characteristics. By dynamically adjusting this critical parameter, the system optimizes the trade-off between energy efficiency (smaller spacing) and safety (larger spacing) according to current operational context.
2Reliability
If experienced drivers are placed in leader positions to improve platoon stability, then safety is improved, but productivity decreases due to limiting the number of available qualified leaders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where driver quality is continuously assessed based on performance metrics, and this assessment feeds into platoon formation decisions. Drivers receive feedback on their platooning performance, and the system uses this feedback to dynamically adjust leader assignments. This allows experienced drivers to maintain leader positions when stability is critical while enabling less experienced but capable drivers to lead when conditions allow, thus optimizing both stability and fleet utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different quality requirements to different positions within the platoon structure. Leader positions require higher driver quality ratings for stability, while follower positions can accommodate drivers with lower ratings. This local differentiation of quality requirements allows the system to maintain high stability at critical points while maximizing overall fleet utilization by appropriately matching drivers to positions based on their capabilities.
3Loss of energy
If platoon size is increased to improve aerodynamic efficiency, then fuel savings are improved, but safety and coordination complexity worsen due to more vehicles requiring management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing large platoons into smaller sub-platoons or groups when management complexity becomes excessive. The system monitors platoon size and coordination difficulty, and when thresholds are exceeded, it automatically segments the platoon into multiple smaller units. This maintains the aerodynamic benefits of platooning while reducing the complexity burden on the coordination system and improving safety through more manageable group sizes.
4Reliability
If driver quality parameters are monitored and used for reordering, then safety is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional monitoring and decision-making requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the platoon system to automatically monitor driver quality parameters, assess performance, and reorder vehicles without external intervention. The electronic control systems in each vehicle continuously exchange data about driver behavior and vehicle performance, automatically making reordering decisions based on predefined criteria. This self-managing approach improves safety through continuous monitoring while minimizing the added complexity by eliminating the need for external coordination infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
Highway vehicle platoon management is provided. Driver quality parameters are used together with vehicle physical characteristic and performance information to select an ordering of the vehicles within the platoon. The vehicles within the platoon mutually self-order to select the ordering of the vehicles within the platoon for enhanced safety and efficiency. The driver quality parameters together with the vehicle physical characteristic and performance information is also used to reward best drivers with preferred locations within the platoon. The vehicles within the platoon mutually self-order to reward best drivers with preferred locations within the platoon. An existing vehicle platoon is selectively split into two or more smaller platoons for improving overall safety and efficiency. Two or more smaller vehicle platoons are selectively aggregated into a larger single platoon for improving overall safety and efficiency.